MOSAIC - The training kit for Euro-Mediterranean youth work

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government at ministerial level in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia
and Turkey, as well as various European countries. However, representation in cabinet
positions remains minimal both in Europe and the Mediterranean. For example, although
women make up 52% of the population, only in Sweden do they have 50% of government
posts and the EU average in 2001 was 24.8%. In addition, even if female
ministers exist, their appointments are mostly in positions dealing with social or cultural
affairs and hardly ever in positions in any of the core ministries. In many countries, a
women’s rights ministry does not exist.
Although some political parties in various countries (Algeria, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia
and some European countries) have instituted quotas to ensure women’s participation
as electoral candidates, women experience significantly greater difficulty in participating
in elections and the number of female representatives in established political
parties is generally quite low.
Maybe due to the fact that women experience various difficulties in participating in
public decision-making structures, women’s organisations and their involvement in the
civil society have always been an important part of the struggle for women’s representation
and participation. In European and Mediterranean countries, these organisations
deal with most contemporary women’s problems; they network with NGOs
from different countries, religions, ages, and social and cultural backgrounds; they
look for concrete and pragmatic solutions for women’s problems; they have political
projects for change; they are not only institutions but are composed of women’s
groups, movements or platforms of organisations.
There are four major issues that women’s organisations have focused on: the reform of
family law, the criminalisation of domestic violence and other gender-based violence
such as honour crimes, nationality rights (for children through their mothers) and
greater access to employment and participation in political decision making. Almost
all women’s organisations advocate that current reservations to the CEDAW should
be removed and they ask for appeal to international human rights standards when
national laws are in conflict with them. It should also be noted that women’s organisations
also face serious obstacles, given the limitations on freedom of expression,
restrictive laws covering NGOs and lack of funding.
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) 95
This is the largest umbrella organisation and a broad-based coalition of women’s associations
with members from 27 EU member states and three candidate countries. It was
set up to participate in and contribute to the European decision-making process, where
increasingly decisions are made that have a direct impact on the lives of European
women but in which women have no voice, no consultation and no participation. 96 The
EWL aims to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men in the EU
and is active in areas like women’s economic and social position, women in decision
making and violence against women.
The low numbers of women in politics both in European and Mediterranean countries
(with the exception of the Nordic countries) clearly highlight severe failures in ensuring
gender equality in political life. Maybe the fundamental problem is the historically
constructed socio-cultural environments that discriminate against women and stereotype
gender roles. The patriarchal structure of political and social life is pervasive,
Themes